Loading apparatus



H. P'x COGH'RANE.

LoAmw APPARATUS.

APPLICATION min NOVA 29. 19m. l Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

-4 sHEETs-sHEE n.

H. P, suena/INE. LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-29. I9I8.'

Patented Dec. 21,1920@ 4 SHEETSTSHEEI 2.

H. P. COCHRANE.

LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION Hun Nov.29,v1ss.

1,363,088. Patented Dee.- 21,1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

H. P. CQCHANE.

LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATIQN FILED NOV.29. 1918.

1,363,088. Patented De@ 21,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEEI 4.

X w 7 y ZIO. /LL Z/ g Z/ Lc L ` Wwf/WW UNITED Partnr OFFICE.

HARRY 1. COCHRANE, 0F PHILADELPHIA, FENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LINK- BELT COMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.r

LOADING APPARATUS.

incense.

Specicaton ci Letters Patent. Patented D3@ 21, 1920.

Application filed November 29,` 1918. Serial No. 264,563.

7 10 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, HARRY l). COGHRANE,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain improvements in Loading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates to certain improve ments in means for loading granular materials from cars or hoppers into vessels, cars, &c.

My invention is especially adapted for use in connection with terminal wharves where a railway is carried overhead onto the wharf and where it is desired to load vessels on either side of the wharf.

@ne object of the invention is to construct a loading apparatus so that it can be moved laterally in order to project'it at either side of the wharf.

A further object of the invention is to design the apparatus so that a comparatively low wharf structure can be erected, as the loading apparatus consists of a conveyer which can be arranged at an angle so as to accommodate material and discharge it at a greater height than the main portion of the wharf structure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for raising and lowering v the projecting portion of the apparatus so that it will accommodate itself to different vessel elevations and to receive material from a point at either side of the wharf.

Another object of the invention is to ar` range the conveyer so that the end can be moved any desired distance from the wharf to accommodate vessels of different widths. The end of the conveyer can bev swung laterally so as to aline with different hatches.

A still further object of the invention is to construct the apparatus so that when it is in mid position it will not project loe-- yond the edge of the wharf, and, conse` quently, will not interfere with vessels entering or leaving the docks.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a wharf structure illustrating my improvement and showing the conveyer in the mid position;

Fig. 2 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, showing the conveyer projected on one side of the wharf and inclined upward;

Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. l is a sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale on the line L,lf-Ll, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view showing a chute, without conveying means, and embodying my invention;

Fig. 6 is a view showing the method of mounting the transverse tracks on a carriage movable longitudinally on the wharf;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view, showing the conveyer used in connection with a single track and hopper; and

Fig. 8 is a view showing the-loading con-` veyer provided with pivoted trucks.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a structure built upon a wharf 2, the wharf projecting a sufficient distance to form adock for vessels at each side thereof. The wharf structure is comparatively low as the load ing eonveyer can be elevated to such an .angle as to discharge into the hold of a vessel that is comparatively high inthe water. @n the upper portion of the structure are two tracks, 3, 3, extending substantially the full length of the wharf and at the center is a return track 3a onto which the empty cars are shifted `after they discharge the load. By this arrangement, the cars of a train can be progressively discharged. Be low each track at one or more points is a hopper 4: having an extension 5 provided with the usual gates 6 operated by lever mechanism 7 through a vertical shaft 8 having a hand wheel. Beyond the extension 5 is a chute 9 which can be moved longitudinally by means of the rope and tackle 10, the rope being guided to a hand operated drum 11. The outer end of this chute can be raised and lowered through a rope and tackle 12, which is guided to a hand operated drum 13. This is one form of hopper and chute, but other forms may be used without departing from the essential features of the invention.

Mounted on transverse beams 14 are rails 15 turned up at each end, as shown, and mounted on these rails is the conveyer 16, which is of a length substantially equal to the width of the wharf structure so that when it is in the central position, as illustrated in Fig. 1,` it does not project beyond either side of the wharf structure, consequently, a vessel can be moved into position at either side of the wharf and the conveyer will not interfere with the movement of the vessel.

The conveyer 16, in the present instance, consists of two side members 17 in which are mounted shafts 18 carrying the belt wheels 19, and also carried by these side frames are guide rollers 21 for bending the carrying run of the belt 20 transversely, as illustrated in Fig.Y d. On the return run, the belt passes over the rollers 22. The belt is driven, in the present instance, from a motor 23 located in the ycentral position on the conveyer 16 and a drive chain passes around a sprocket wheel on the shaft of the motor and also around a sprocket wheel on the intermediate shaft 24. On this shaft is another sprocket wheel around which passes a belt leading to a sprocket wheel on the shaft 18 at one end of the conveyer on which the belt wheel 19 is mounted. This motor can be reversed so as to drive the belt in either direction. Y

In the present instance, I have shown a belt conveyer, but it will be understood that a Hight conveyer, or other common type of conveyer may be used, if desired, without departing from the essential features of the invention.

When the structure is to be used to load comparatively low vessels and where material can flow over the loading apparatus without the use of a conveyer, then a chute structure may be used, as illustrated in I? 1g. 5, in which 161 is the chute.

At eachend of the conveyer structure 16 is a chute 25 through which the material is discharged from the end of thev conveyer and any suitable chute, or tube, may be attached to the end of the chute 25 when it is wished to direct the flow of material beyond the end of the conveyer.V The conveyer 16 has axles 26 on which are grooved wheels 27 adapted to the rails 15.

In order to move the conveyer so as to project it at either side of the wharf, I provide a drum structure 28 geared to a handled shaft .29. At each side of the wharf structure are blocks 30 and 30a around which pass the ropes 31 and 31a. The rope 31 passes around the drum 28 and around the block 30 and is attached at 32 to the conveyer, while the rope Slapasses from the drum ,28 around the block 30H-, and is attached to the conveyer at 32a so that, on turning the drum in one direction, the conveyer is moved out to one side of the wharf structure, and when turned in the opposite direction is moved to the opposite side of the wharf structure.

In order to support the conveyer properly when extended, as shown in Fig. 2, I provide rope sheave 33 at the upper end of the wharf structure. I also provide a rope sheave 84C, which is attached to that end of 4two ropes 31 and 81a.

Leashes which is operated by hand, or by power. By turning this rope sheave the conveyer can be raised or lowered, as desired, so as to accommodate the vessel being loaded. It will be understood that guy lines can be coupled to the conveyer in any suitable manner to prevent lateralV swinging of the conveyer when in the projected position.

The drum structure for shifting the conveyer, in the present instance, consists of a shaft 28a on which are drums 281 for the @n the shaft is a worm wheel with whichI meshes a worm on a vertical shaft 29, which is geared to a transverse shaft 29 having an operating handle. In some instances, instead of the handle a pulley, or sprocket, may be provided and the shaft may be driven by power. The rope drum 36 may be driven in like manner. Y

By this construction, when the shaft 29 Vis turned in one direction, one rope is wound on its rope drum and the other is paid out, and when the movement is reversed the last mentioned rope is wound on the drum and the other paid out. f

lWhile I have illustrated certain details` of the apparatus, these details may be modi- Y fied without departing from the spirit of the invention. v

While I have shown only one unit consisting of a movable transverse conveyer and two hoppers, it will be understood that these units may be spaced at given intervals throughout the length of the wharf so as to accommodate different hatches .in the vessels.

The operation is as follows: r

The cars are run on either side of the overhead tracks of the wharf structure, depending upon which side the vessel to be loaded is moored. After the vessel has been located in the proper position, with one of the hatches in line with the conveyer 16, the drum structure 28 is so operated as to project the conveyer out beyond the side of the wharf structure and over the vessel to be loaded. Prior to the conveyer being projected the rope sheave 24 isattached to the end of the conveyer 16 so that after the conveyer is projected it can be raised and lowered to any degree desired. rl`he chute 9 is then moved into position so as to discharge the material from one of the hoppers t onto the belt of the conveyer. The motor 28 is then set in motion so as to drive the carrying-run of the belt toward the outer end of the conveyer. The material is then discharged from the cars and when the lgate 6 is opened the material will flow through the chute 9 onto the'belt 20, which will carry the material to the outer end of the conveyer and will discharge it into the hold of the vessel or into a chute, or pipe, leading to the hold of a vessel When the vessel is loaded, or that particular compartment of the vessel is loaded, and it is desired to load a vessel/on the opposite side of the wharf, then the conveyer is shifted to the opposite side and the above operation is repeated.

' Thus it will be seen that the conveying structure can load vessels at either side of the wharf and when in the central position does not project beyond the sides of the wharf structure, and, therefore, does not interfere with the vessel and its rigging as it is being moored to the wharf.

When locating the conveyer so as to discharge directly into a hatchway it may be projected the full extent, or it may be partly projected, depending upon the width of the vessel, as the conveyer can receive material from the chute 9 at any point throughout its length. Where it is desired to turn the chute laterally so as to move it into position above a hatchway, I may mount the axles on trucks 26, Fig. 8, which are pivoted to the chute 16h, and by using side guy lines the outer end of the chute can move within a certain radius when projected.

In some instances, the rails 16 for the conveyer 15 may be mounted on a carriage 14, F ig. 6, having wheels ltb, which travel on longitudinal rails 37, and beams 38 supported by the wharf structure 1. The drum structure 28, as well as the blocks and tackle, are also mounted on the carriage 14a. By this arrangement a single conveyer can be used in connection with a series of hoppers.

/Vhile the invention is especially adapted for handling coal and ore, it will be understood that it can be used for handling any granular material capable of being discharged into a hopper and carried'by a conveyer and discharged into a vessel, or other carrier.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the hoppers below two tracks, one hopper being directed toward one side of the wharf structure and the other directed toward the opposite side. 1n some instances, particularly where a single track is used, as shown in Fig. 7, the

track 36 may be at the center of the wharf structure and a single hopper la may be located directly under the track. The chute 9L may be arranged so as to swing on either side of the wharf structure, depending upon the side the conveyer is projected.

The object of projecting the apparatus with a power driven conveyer is that the device can be arranged at any angle above or below the horizontal to accommodate a vessel, and, consequently, a comparatively low wharf structure can be used for loading almost any kind of a vessel.

I claim:

1. The combination in a loading apparatus, of a structure having a longitudinal railway track thereon; a hopper under the track; a transverse track under the hopper;

`2. The combination in a loading apparatus, of a structure; two tracks on said structure; a hopper under each track; chutes communicating with the hoppers, one chute directing material to one side of the structure and the other directing material to the opposite side of the structure; a discharge device transversely arranged under the hoppers; and means for moving the discharge device beyond the sides of the structure so that material flowing through the chute from the hoppers will iiow onto the discharge device.

8. The combination of a structure, trans verse rails thereon; a conveyer movably mounted thereon so as to be projected at either side of the structure; two hoppers above the conveyer; a chute for each hopper, one projecting on one side of the `structure and the other projecting on the opposite side thereof; and means at each side of the structure for supporting the projecting ends of the conveyer.

4. The combination of a structure; transverse rails thereon; a conveyer frame having wheels mounted on the rails; a belt con` veyer mounted on the said conveyer frame; said conveyer frame having a chuter at each end; a motor on the conveyer frame for driving the belt in either direction; a drum structure; sheaves at each side of the main structure; ropes passing from the drum structure around the sheaves, one rope being attached to one end of the conveyer frame and the other rope being attached to the other end of the conveyer frame so that, on turning the drums of the drum structure in one direction, the conveyer will be projected on one side of the main structure and on turning them in the opposite direction the conveyer will be projected on the other sideof the structure; and means for feeding material to the conveyer.

5. The combination in loading apparatus, of a structure; transverse rails on the structure; a conveyer having wheels mounted on the structure; a pivot connection between the wheels and the structure; means for moving the conveyer out beyond the structure at either side; and means for supporting the outer end of the structure, said structure being capable of being swung laterally.

6. The combination of a structure; longitudinal rails thereon; a carriage mounted to travel on said rails, said carriage having transverse rails; a conveyer frame having wheels mounted on the rails; an endless belt forming part of the conveyer; means carlll) ried by the conveyer frame for driving the belt in either direction; and means mounted on the carriage for projecting the conveyer art either side of the main frame; and means for feeding` the conveyer in either of its projected positions.

7. The combination vof a Wharf; a structure mounted thereon; transverse rails mounted on the structure; a conveyer frame having Wheels mounted on the rails and having a chute at each end; an endless belt conveyer mounted on the conveyer frame; a motor also mounted on the fra-me and arranged to drive the belt in either direction;

a drum structure having two drums thereon; sheaves at each side of the main structure; a rope leading from one sheave at one side of the structure and connected to the opposite end of the conveyer; another rope leading to the other sheave and to the opposite end of the conveyer; tWo tracks mounted above the conveyer; a hopper under each track; chutes leading from the hopper; means for vertically adjusting the chute; and means for adjustably supporting the outer end of the conveyer when projected.

In Witness whereof affix my signature.

HARRY P. COCHRANE. 

